


A Conversation About Coffee and Chaos

by Optimistic_Lyricist



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who & Related Fandoms, Doctor Who (1963), Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Coffee, Comedy, Drama, M/M, Romance, coffee shop AU, not so subtle moffat hate
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-27
Updated: 2014-02-27
Packaged: 2018-01-13 22:32:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,245
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1242979
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Optimistic_Lyricist/pseuds/Optimistic_Lyricist
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Coffee Shop AU where writer John Smith (Eighth Doctor) and producer Koschei Saxon (The Master) have a conversation in a coffee shop about a recent dispute and what the future may hold.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Conversation About Coffee and Chaos

The bell at the top of the Summerfield's Café front door rang as John Theta Smith walked inside. It was evident as he slicked back his formerly long, but still brown and wavy, hair that his bloodshot eyes had turned his usual blue eyes into a bright shade of scarlet. He had been put under quite a bit of stress lately and it was showing. He had been put to the task to oversee the recent production of a tv series adapted from Smith's successful series of science fiction novels. He had been working with the show's head writer to make sure the show would be as faithful as possible to it's material, but they hadn't been getting along.

In fact, their last meeting ended with John firing him and in return, he kicked John out of his chair and ran off. Now, John just needed a moment to himself to clear his mind at his favorite coffee shop. As with most of his morning routines, he stepped into line to order his usual espresso until he heard someone calling his name.

"Already got you covered, John!" John turned his head to see Koschei Saxon, the producer of the show, sitting at a nearby table with two cups of coffee and waving at John with a slightly condescending smile on his face. Since the moment they met, Koschei had slowly become John's best friend and simultaneously his enemy. Enemy in a mutual respect kind of way, of course. No one could embrace each other nor irritate each other like they could. For all they had in common, they had so much to disagree with on a regular basis. As much as John's campy and elegant personality mixed with his signature green velvet jacket contrasted the often unpredictable, harsh, cheeky, and hyperactive energy of Koschei mixed with his usual black suit, they were practically the same man.

John gave an eye roll as he approached the table and sat down across from Koschei. With the same snake like grin across his face that looked cheaper than the product that slicked back his black hair, Koschei slid John's coffee cup to him. "Espresso, right? Your favorite?"

"Well, if it wasn't, you already bought it. I appreciate it regardless." John sighed before sipping his coffee.

"What the hell were you thinking?" Koschei's tone grew stark as his smile grew into an annoyed frown.

John gave a humored smile. "Well, that escalated quickly. Who told you?"

"Steven phoned me personally and notified me of how unreasonable you'd been!" Koschei sputtered out, which John just shrugged off with an amazed but brief chuckle.

 _'I've been unreasonable? Me? Really?'_ John thought with a grin, but decided to hear Koschei spew his frustrations out first before voicing his opinion. When they had their disagreements, John realized that it was easier to let Koschei let out his verbal onslaught before John could explain and reason with him. Otherwise they'd go into a verbal shouting contest and they're both far too old for that.

"Why'd you have to go and fire Steven?" Koschei continued.

John shrugged. "Same reason he kicked me. 'Cause he's an arsehole." John was usually never one for cursing, but if this wasn't an appropriate time to let a rare swear out, he didn't know when there would be one.

"Everyone knows Steven's an arsehole, but he's an arsehole that is making us money." Koschei groaned. "Big name television writer like that is just what your new show needs to get off the ground."

"Is that all the BBC cares about these days? Getting ratings over genuinely good storytelling? Well for you information, maybe I don't want this show to get off the ground." John somberly muttered. "I'm grateful enough for the fanbase that my books have generated to the point that I could retire my writing career today and live the rest of my days as the luckiest man alive. I just thought having a tv show of my books would be cool. I always wanted to work in tv. Well, until I met _him_." He cringed. "I understand his intentions are good, but all his incessant ideas have just ran me up the wall with migraine after migraine after-"

"Well you should've popped a painkiller or something!" Koschei interrupted. "You didn't have to fire him! You could've just kicked him back!"

"Oh, Koschei, you know I've never been one for violence." John swiftly shook his head. "Besides, he would've just crawled and leaped back up for more, like any other leach. Now that leach is sucking the life out of my creation. Would you pass the sugar please?"

Without missing a beat as he spoke, Koschei picked up the small sugar canister and handed it to John, who began to pour it into his coffee. John then began to stir his coffee with a stick as Koschei spoke. "He's not sucking the life out of your creation. He's merely taking some...creative liberties with your material."

"Exactly! My material!" John said with intense passion in his eyes as he slammed the stirring stick onto the table. "He's made my protagonist a rather unpleasant person...he's turned every female I've written into some stoic cliché of how he sees women... he's even trying to change the title of the book series! What's wrong with my original title? _The Man With A Dozen Faces Locked in a World of A Dozen Doors_! That's poetic and relevant to the theme of the books!" He waved about his hands to put emphasis on his words.

Koschei stroked his temple with his fingertips as John began to frustrate him more by the second. "Maybe because it's too bloody long of a title. Face it, it stinks. It doesn't roll off the tongue quite as smoothly like the new one, Doc-"

"Don't say it!" John interrupted. "It was hard enough to cleanse the trash from my tongue after saying it once. It'll be harder to wash it out of my ears after hearing it for the billionth time."

"John, as much as this chat has been rather eye opening and amusing, could you just get to the point? Please?" Koschei exuded sarcasm in tone before closing with his usual harshness and folding his hands on the table.

John huffed a heavy sigh. "The point is what's the point of adapting anything if you're not going to be faithful to the original material? Especially when it comes to books. The fans will be upset. I'd be...I _am_ frustrated. He's letting his ego get in the way of the bigger picture."

"Before you start pointing fingers at who has the biggest ego, I suggest you look at your own. Especially when you're not in any position to make accusations or any ultimatums for that matter." Koschei sneered before he sipped his own cappuccino.

"Now what exactly is that supposed to mean?" John asked; clearly insulted.

Koschei swallowed his coffee down before giving John an all knowing look of awareness. "You know exactly what it means." He stated simply because John did know and he sat in somber silence because of it; reflecting on the recent decisions he regretted so much.

They sat in uncomfortable silence before John finally broke it. "So, what else did Steven say to you?" He asked, if only to take the spotlight slightly off of him.

Koschei took another sip of his cappuccino before speaking. "Well, he first said that he forgave you for being unreasonable."

"Pfft." John scoffed. John started to open his mouth to respond before Koschei put up his index finger as his slightly angered and sullen facial expression told John that he didn't want to hear it.

"Don't even start again." He told John, who reluctantly closed his mouth. Koschei continued. "Now, he brought to my attention that just because it is your material and you're there to make sure that this material gets the proper treatment, you don't have the ability to fire anyone. Only the BBC can fire him and as of now, they consider him employed. However, after feeling disrespected both as a writer and as a man by you, Steven is hesitant to return but he has agreed to compromise. He is willing to return to writing for the show..." Koschei took a deep breathe before finishing. "...if you stop overseeing production and just...stay away."

John cringed in shock and appall. "What?"

"The BBC will still pay you full royalties for the copyright of your material and you'll get paid for each episode produced, but you can't be on set when he's on set. You can't be on set at all." Koschei spoke in an unexpected sympathetic tone.

"I refuse." John held his ground with a furious snarl.

"You're not in any position to make that call."

"And why is that?"

"It doesn't help your case."

"My case?"

"Yes! Your case!" Koschei had finally reached his breaking point. Unbeknownst to John, Koschei had practically stuck his neck out to make sure John would at least get paid, but John appeared to be nothing but ungrateful, stubborn, and even more difficult. "Your wife divorced you! She took the kids! She pretty much left you with nothing but that stupid phone box in the backyard! You haven't a dime to your name and since you found a convenient time to have writer's block, you don't know how else to make a dime for yourself! I'm trying to help you and you won't let me!" John slumped back and sulked in his seat as Koschei spurred out harsh truths that made John feel like more of a horrible person than he already thought he was. That, as far as he was concerned, he _knew_ he was. Koschei rubbed his own brow before continuing with a more calm and sympathetic tone. "That's your problem, John. You burn bridges with those closest to you when you need them the most. You close yourself away in your own little walls because you're scared of what'll happen if you get too close. One day, you'll realize that you'll need to let someone into those walls. I think that day might be today. Now I'm trying to be your friend, John. Let me in."

John stayed silent for a few moments, taking in the whole conversation in his mind. Breaking it down bit by bit. Wondering whether to give in and giving up what he believes in or stand his ground at the cost of losing everyone and everything. And, most importantly, risking losing Koschei. "I need some time to think." He told Koschei, who sighed and glanced at the watch on his wrist.

"Fair enough." He told John as he stood up. "Well you stay and think. I have to be at a meeting in an hour. Speaking of meetings, will you be ready for your meeting with the BBC executives at noon?" He asked, to which John froze and went bug eyed after remembering he had a meeting to begin with. Koschei couldn't help but bury his face in his hands in annoyance. "Oh, Christ, John. Don't tell me you forgot."

"I promised my granddaughter we'd have lunch at noon." John defended himself. "Susan's only in town for the next couple day's and I haven't seen her in ages and-"

"Ssh." Koschei put a finger to his own lips. "It's too early for panicking. Look, if I can, I might cover for you. Maybe they'll believe a mid-life crisis excuse. At least I won't have to lie." He gave a cheeky smirk to lighten the mood, which John returned by mustering a relieved smile.

"Bless you." John thanked Koschei. Koschei nodded with a smile before heading towards the door until John called his name. "One more thing, Koschei." As he called, Koschei was quick to return to the table. "Are we still on for our date tonight?"

Koschei grinned with a slight shrug. "Why not? As long as you don't miss it because I swear, I won't be so reasonable if you miss another one. Got that?"

John laughed softly with a glimmer in his eyes as he looked at Koschei. "Wouldn't miss it for the world."

"Better not." Koschei winked. He started to head out again before he turned to John one last time. "By the way, love the haircut. The beard, not so much. Shave it. Before tonight, please." That made John laugh again as he nodded at Koschei. With that, Koschei finally left the coffee shop.

The smile on John's face slowly faded away as before he sipped his coffee again as he reflected on the choices he'd made, the choices he'd have to make, everything he's done in life that has led to this moment. He didn't know what was going to happen nor could he fully comprehend what has already happened. If anyone could see his face right now, they could tell he was visibly scared. Scared of what the future had to offer. Usually he could dive right in to the future with open arms and an open mind, but he had too much on the line to lose right now and for the first time in a long time, he was scared. Scared of losing his kids for good. Scared of losing all that he loves in life. Scared of losing himself.

And to him, the scariest part was that this was just the morning and tomorrow was yet to come.

**END**


End file.
